Water heater

Abstract

A water heater including a watertight tank having a source of heat for heating water inside the tank and a hot water outlet mounted in the top portion of the tank. An agitator assembly is mounted in the bottom portion of the tank and includes a ring-shaped tubular member and a secondary tubular member connected to the ring-shaped tube. The ring-shaped member is provided with a plurality of openings in the sides thereof and said secondary tubular member is provided with an upwardly facing opening therein. A plurality of horizontally extending venturi fittings are mounted in the ring-shaped member side openings and an upwardly extending venturi fitting is mounted in the secondary tubular member opening. The agitator assembly is connected to a source of water so that when hot water is periodically withdrawn from the top of the tank water will flow into the tank through the openings and venturi fittings in the agitator assembly. Such openings and fittings are positioned so that water flowing from inside the tubular members into the tank will flow in horizontal and centerally upward directions to thereby produce a substantially uniform stirring action in the bottom portion of the tank. Such stirring action will cause any solid particles in the water to be circulated upwardly and carried from the tank to thus prevent accumulation of such particles in the bottom of the tank.

I claim: 
     
       1. A water heater comprising: a watertight tank means;   a source of heat for heating water inside said tank means;   a hot water outlet means located in the top portion of said tank;   an agitator assembly means mounted in the bottom portion of said tank, said agitator assembly means including a ring-shaped tubular member positioned closely adjacent the inside wall of said tank means in the bottom portion thereof, said ring-shaped tubular member having a plurality of openings in a side thereof so that water flowing from inside said member into said tank will flow in a substantially horizontal direction towards the central portion of the tank in a plane which is closely adjacent to the tank bottom, said agitator assembly means further including a secondary tubular member connected at one end to said ring-shaped tubular member and extending horizontally therefrom towards the centeral portion of said tank means, said secondary tubular member having an upwardly facing opening adjacent the centeral end thereof, said ring-shaped member having a plurality of horizontally extending venturi fittings mounted in at least some of said side openings therein and said secondary tubular member having an upwardly directed venturi fitting mounted in said upwardly facing opening; and   a connector means for connecting said agitator assembly means to a source of water.   
     
     
       2. A water heater according to claim 1 in which said venturi fittings each have a flow passageway therethrough which increases in diameter from its inlet to its outlet end and a plurality of side openings through which water is drawn from the tank when water is caused to flow from inside said ring through said passageway in said venturi fitting. 
     
     
       3. A water heater according to claim 1 in which said venturi fittings are made of anodic material. 
     
     
       4. A water heater according to claim 1 in which there are a plurality of anode members mounted on the top portion of said ring-shaped tubular member. 
     
     
       5. A water heater according to claim 1 in which there are three horizontally extending venturi fittings mounted in openings in said ring-shaped member. 
     
     
       6. A water heater according to claim 5 in which said three horizontally extending venturi fittings and said secondary tubular member are connected to said ring-shaped member at approximately equally spaced points around the periphery thereof. 
     
     
       7. A water heater comprising: a water tight tank means adapted to contain water under pressure;   a source of heat for heating water inside said tank means;   a hot water outlet means located in the top portion of said tank means for periodically withdrawing heated water from the top portion of said tank means;   an agitator assembly means mounted in the bottom portion of said tank, said agitator assembly means including a tubular member connected to a source of water under pressure to be heated, said tubular member extending into said water tight tank means, said tubular member being imperforate other than having a plurality of small openings therein spaced along the length thereof to direct multiple streams of water under pressure into the tank each time water is drawn out of the top portion of said tank means through said hot water outlet means, said plurality of openings in said otherwise imperforate tubular member positioned so that said multiple streams of water will be directed over and adjacent to the bottom of the tank means to create a stirring action in the lower portion of said tank means to thereby cause solid materials which have either settled to the bottom or are in the process of settling to the bottom to be maintained in suspension in the water so that ultimately at least a portion of such materials will be carried upwardly in said tank means and out said hot water outlet means, the relationship of the aggregate size of the small openings in said otherwise imperforate tubular member to the size of said tubular member itself is such that the velocity of the water flowing into said tank means through said plurality of openings in said tubular member is greater than the velocity of water flowing into said tubular member from the source of cold water under pressure to thereby create the desired stirring action in the bottom portion of said tank means.   
     
     
       8. The method of heating and circulating water in a water tight tank adapted to contain water under pressure comprising the steps of: (1) periodically withdrawing water from the top portion of the tank;   (2) introducing water into the bottom portion of the tank from a source of water under pressure each time water is withdrawn from the top of the tank;   (3) imparting a stirring action to the water in the bottom portion of the tank each time water is withdrawn and introduced according to steps (1) and (2), such stirring action created by causing the water entering the tank to flow into the tank in the form of multiple streams passing through a plurality of openings spaced along an otherwise imperforate tubular member, said tubular member extending into the tank adjacent the bottom thereof and connected to the source of water under pressure, said openings positioned in the tubular member so that the multiple streams will be directed over and adjacent the bottom of the tank to thereby cause solid materials which have either settled to the bottom or are in the process of settling to the bottom of the tank to be maintained in suspension in the water, said stirring action causing at least a portion of said suspended materials to be carried upwardly in the tank and eventually out through the top portion of the tank, the velocity of the water flowing into the tank through the plurality of openings in the otherwise imperforate tubular member is greater than the velocity of water flowing into the tubular member from the source of water under pressure to thereby create the desired stirring action in the bottom portion of the tank; and   (4) applying heat to the water in the tank as it is circulated therethrough.